


Tales From The Road

by bananzer



Series: An Extra Burglar [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22659574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananzer/pseuds/bananzer
Summary: small oneshots from my story that don't exactly work with fluidity of the plot but I didn't want to delete. Not necessarily in order.
Relationships: Fili (Tolkien)/Original Character
Series: An Extra Burglar [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1539769
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	Tales From The Road

**Author's Note:**

> takes place during chapter 4 of An Extra Burglar

"Hey," Fili says, "where's Cassia?"

"She said she was going to take a bath," Kili says, "but that was a while ago." He frowns. "Maybe she drowned."

Fili smacks the back of his brother's head. "Don't be morbid. She probably fell asleep daydreaming in the sunlight or something. I'll go get her."

* * *

Fili finds Cassia. She's not asleep or daydreaming. She's standing at the edge of the river, her toes barely touching the water, her whole body trembling almost imperceptibly.

"Cassia?" Fili calls. "I thought you were going to take a bath?"

"I can't," she whispers hoarsely.

"What? Is the water too cold?" He jokes.

She shakes her head and he comes to stand beside her. She looks as muddy and grimy and exhausted as the rest of them did before their baths, but shes staring at the water with wide, terrified eyes.

"Cassia?" He asks gently. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," she says.

"Of the water?"

She nods.

"Of course you are," Fili says softly, reaching out and taking her hand. "You almost _drowned_ , Cassia."

"I'm sorry," she breathes.

"'S not your fault. I should have been faster. Or carried you or something. The river was too deep."

"Oh, Fili," she says, finally turning away from the water and facing him. "You couldn't have known."

He reaches out and chucks her chin lightly. "There's lots of things we should have done differently," he says.

She nods, then sighs. "I really do want a bath."

"I can get you some rags and you can take a sponge bath. I won't even tell anyone what's going on."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Fili."

He nods and trots off and fends off everyone's questions with an excuse that Cassia dropped her clothes in the river and brings her her pack.

She takes it gratefully. "Can… can you stay?"

She asks.

"Uh…"

"Just… stay nearby? Please? In case I need you?"

Fili nods. "Of course." He points toward a fallen log. "I'll be sitting right there."

"You can't look," she blurts suddenly, blushing.

"I would never," he says gravely, "dwarf's honor."

Fili sits down on the log, facing away from the river and lights his pipe, before pulling out some whittling to work on. The light of the moon is more than sufficient for his task. He shifts his pipe in his mouth and blows a smoke ring absently, working carefully at a particularly difficult bit. Behind him he can hear the soft rustling and splashing of Cassia bathing and tries not to think too hard about her being so close to him and _naked_. This was a bad idea. This was a really bad idea. But she needs him. She wants him. So he stays. 

"The moon's really bright tonight, huh?" Cassia says. 

"Sure is," he replies. 

"It's beautiful," she murmurs. 

"Aye."

They fall into silence again, before she blurts, "Thank you for not teasing me about this."

"Cassia," he says, "I would never tease you."

"You tease me all the time!" She says indignantly, and he laughs. 

"I do, but not about something like this. Not if you're scared."

"Even if its something silly like this?"

"Its not silly, Cassia," he says. "Fears like this… they aren't something you can control. So don't be ashamed."

"I bet you aren't scared of something foolish like water, though. You're brave."

"I'm scared of the dark," he blurts. He doesn't know why he tells her that. It's something only a few people know, only his closest family. 

"Oh, Fili…" she says.

"My _adad_ was a miner," he explains, "he died when I was little. There was a cave-in and he… he wasn't killed by the debris. That maybe would have been… better. He suffocated. Alone, in the dark. Just… wasted away. No hope of rescue. And I just…" Fili swallows hard. Why is he saying this. Why is he telling her this. She doesn't need to know this, about this fear he's held since he was a dwarfling. He's being foolish. He—. A pair of soft arms are draped around his neck from behind and he jumps slightly. "Cassia…" he starts.

She hugs him tightly and pushes her forehead against the back of his head. "You don't have to go on, Fili, I understand."

She smells of soap and fresh air and something more delicate that makes his head spin.

Fili snaps his carving knife closed and tucks it and his project away in his jacket, before reaching up and closing his hand over her small ones resting on his chest. "I was only 12," he whispers, "and all I could think of was _Adad_. Alone. In the dark. Suffocating. Every night it's all I could think of and pretty soon I just… couldn't stand it anymore. It was stifling. It still is. I just…"

She kisses the side of his head and it catches him so off guard he stops talking. "You don't have to go on, Fili. I understand. I do."

Fili let's out a sound that in any other situation might have been a laugh and knocks his head lightly against hers. "Thank you," he murmurs.

She hums softly and he rubs his thumb over the back of her hand. They're so soft and small in his and he marvels at that. He notices that her arms are bare, quite suddenly.

"Are you wearing clothes?" He asks and she giggles.

"Probably not enough to be appropriate." 

Fili stiffens. "Cassia," he says hoarsely, because the mere thought of her naked is bad enough.

"Sorry," she says, letting go of him and stepping back and nearly immediately he misses her warmth at his back and her scent surrounding him. 

"Its fine," he replies.

Theres more rustling behind him and she steps into his view, fully dressed, freshly washed clothes over one arm and her pack slung over one shoulder. "We should head back before people start to think we're doing something inappropriate."

Fili snorts and takes her pack from her. "More inappropriate than you hugging me half naked?"

She smacks his arm with her wet dress. "I was _not_ half naked, you cad."

Fili winces and rubs his arm. "Ouch! Is that anyway to treat your friend that comforted you through your greatest fears?"

She laughs and falls back a few steps.

"What are you—" he starts and breaks off in a yelp as she whips his bottom with her rolled up wet skirt. "Ouch!!!"

Cassia cackles and dashes past him taking off into the trees. "You minx!" He splutters, running after her. 

He catches her around the waist and throws her over his shoulder, stomping back into camp as she laughs and wriggles around. And sure they earn odd looks from the others in the company, but she is laughing, high and clear and he is happy and the shadows beneath the trees don't look so frightening tonight.


End file.
